The present invention relates to a child""s stroller and more particularly to a child""s stroller having a convenient frame latch mechanism and pivoting bolster member with activity tray operative for transporting an infant carrier/car seat in the stroller.
Child stroller frames that are configurable between folded and deployed positions by manual activation of a frame latching device are well known. One type of foldable, four-wheel stroller frame has a pair of front legs coupled to the stroller handlebar through a latching device operative for locking the handlebar and front leg in a parallel relation when the stroller is in a deployed or use configuration, and a pair of rear legs rotationally coupled to either the front legs or handlebar. One example of this variety of stroller is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,853. Latching mechanisms for stroller frames are usually designed with a view towards providing users with a convenient means for folding and unfolding a stroller while at the same time providing a reliable locking mechanism which reduces the possibility that the stroller frame will collapse during use by sudden disengagement of the latching mechanism.
There are a wide variety of latch mechanisms known in the art. One such latch is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,409 (Haut). Haut describes a latch consisting of a first leg rotationally coupled to a first arm of a stroller frame through a body member with a spring-biased locking device being provided on the first arm for locking the first leg and first arm in a parallel relationship when the stroller is in an operating position. The locking device consists of a catch movable against a compressed spring to allow the first leg to be rotated relative to the first arm when configuring the stroller in a collapsed configuration. To fold the stroller, the catch is manually pulled upwards against the spring force to allow a user to then rotate the first arm downwards. Haut""s latching device is disadvantageous since the first arm (which corresponds to the stroller handle bar) must be simultaneously rotated while the user is holding the catch open, often times from the rather awkward rearward stroller position (i.e., rearward of the handle bar), thereby requiring the user to lift up on the stroller and/or reach over the handlebar to begin the folding sequence. It would be preferable if the latching device were such as to allow a user to release the latch and fold the stroller in one simple motion from a convenient position.
Another example of a stroller latch device requiring a two-step folding sequence is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,853 (Lauro). Lauro""s locking member includes a sleeve coaxial with a second tube for rotatably and slidably mounting the locking member on the second tube. The locking member is rotated around the second tube so that a receptacle portion of the locking member may be brought into engagement with the first tube to lock the first and second tubes in a parallel relation. Lauro suffers from the same drawback of requiring the user to first unlock the latch and then fold the stroller. Lauro suffers from the additional drawback of not providing a latch which self-locks as the stroller is deployed in a use configuration. The self-locking feature is important as it reduces the possibility that a child will be placed in the stroller before properly engaging the latch.
Still another variety of a stroller latch is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,402 (Huang ""402) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,398 (Huang ""398). Huang ""398 describes a latch consisting of a positioning means secured to a front member and pivotally coupled to a lower end of the stroller handlebar and a retainer means fixed to the handlebar and including a retainer member adapted for engagement with a spring-loaded sliding hook member mounted to the positioning member. To disengage the latch, a button operative for displacing the sliding hook member is depressed to release the retainer member, thereby allowing the handle to be rotated relative to the front member. Huang ""402 describes a similar latch approach providing a spring loaded button for releasably fixing a positioning and retaining seat in a locked configuration. The latches described in Huang ""398 and Huang ""402 are undesirable due to the complexity of the button engagement mechanisms. It would be preferable if the number of moving parts in the stroller latch were reduced and/or if the mechanism for locking and unlocking the stroller were simplified to promote durability of the latch and reduce costs associated with manufacture of the latch. Huang ""398 and Huang ""402 also do not satisfactorily address the need for providing a more convenient means for folding and unfolding a stroller.
In light of the drawbacks and limitations described and shown in existing stroller latches, there is a need for a stroller latch which provides a more convenient means folding and unfolding a stroller. In particular, the known stroller latches suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks: the stroller folding sequence requires a two step process (either carried on simultaneously or as separate steps) of first disengaging a latch and then folding the stroller; the latch device is unnecessarily complicated, involving an excessive number of moving parts; or the latch operation and folding of the stroller is unnecessarily complicated.
It has been found to be very convenient for parents to be able to transport infants to and from strollers by providing a mounting device on the stroller for securing handheld infant carriers and/or infant car seats directly to the stroller frame. By providing a means for mounting the infant carrier/car seat to the stroller, the parent can more easily transport the infant from one place to another and a resting infant will not be as disturbed during travel. It has also been found desirable to provide a stroller safety bar or front tray section for a child seated in a stroller.
One example of a stroller which is operative for mounting an infant carrier is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,798 (Walters). Walters"" stroller includes a U-shaped safety bar having free ends coupled to the lower tubes of the frame. The U-shaped safety bar includes a recess at its center for releasably receiving an infant carrier having an operator controlled latch and recesses formed in the infant carrier shell for receiving the safety bar. Walters approach for mounting the infant carrier is undesirable in that the U-shaped bar coupled to the lower tube is limited to fixed bars disposed across the seating area. It would be preferred if an infant carrier mount could be provided that is re-positionable for removal/placement of a child in the stroller seat, functions as an activity tray, and which allows a toddler to climb in and out of the stroller seat without being obstructed by the infant carrier mount or activity tray.
Another approach for mounting an infant carrier to a stroller is found in the xe2x80x9cInfant Safety Seat/Carrier and Travel Systemxe2x80x9d by Graco Children""s Products, Inc. (Graco). Graco is similar to Walters with the exception that Graco""s infant t carrier mounts to a removable tray disposed across the stroller seating area, rather than the U-shaped safety bar as in Walters. Graco describes an infant carrier/stroller combination in which the infant carrier mount to the stroller also serves as a tray that may be selectively removed or pivoted away from the seating area. The Graco tray includes a center recess where the infant carrier is latched (as in Walters) and a pair of ends having flexible collars for gripping the upper ends of the left and right front leg tubes. The tray may be pivoted about one of the right and left leg tubes by prying a collar to allow the tray to be pivoted about the other leg tube (the tray may also be completely removed by prying open both left and right collars). Graco""s stroller tray/infant carrier mounting scheme is undesirable because care must be used to insure that the left and right collars are secured to the leg tubes before the infant carrier is mounted and the tray must be completely removed if a parent does not wish to have a tray disposed across the seating area during use. It would be preferred if a tray that also serves as an infant carrier mount were available which reduced the possibility that the infant carrier would be mounted on the tray which was not safely secured to the stroller frame and which also could be conveniently relocated on the stroller without having to completely remove the tray from the stroller.
In light of the drawbacks and limitations described and shown in existing infant carrier/stroller systems, there is a need for a stroller operative for mounting an infant carrier which overcomes the drawbacks and limitations of the existing art. In particular, the known stroller/infant carrier mounting approaches suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks: the infant carrier is mounted to a fixed bar extending across the seating area; or the stroller provides a infant carrier mount/tray which is not easily re-positionable on the stroller to accommodate different uses.
The invention satisfies the above identified needs in stroller latches while avoiding the problems and disadvantages of the existing art by providing a convenient latching mechanism that is self locking and which is disengaged to fold the stroller by pivoting latch handles to simultaneously disengage the latch and fold the stroller frame. The invention also satisfies the above identified needs in infant carrier/stroller systems while avoiding the problems and disadvantages of the existing art by providing a stroller bolster having a tray area and child carrier mount for mounting a child carrier, the bolster being rotationally coupled to the upper ends of the stroller handlebar for convenient repositioning of the stroller tray area and child carrier mount by pivoting the bolster between a stowed position and a use position whereby the bolster tray and child carrier mount are placed across the stroller seating area. By providing a re-positionable bolster pivotally coupled to the stroller handlebar, the stroller provides convenient removal/placement of a child in the stroller, allows a child to climb in and out of the stroller without being obstructed by the tray or child carrier mount, and allows the bolster to be pivoted between the use and stowed positions while children of varying seated heights are seated in the stroller.
In one aspect of the invention, a stroller latch for selectively configuring a stroller frame between a folded and unfolded positions includes a latch mount pivotally mounted to the lower end of a stroller handle and fixedly mounted to the upper end of the stroller front leg, a collar slidably coupled to the stroller handle, the collar including a locking sleeve releasably engageable over the upper end of the front leg to lock the front leg and stroller handle in a deployed position, and a latch handle pivotally coupled to the latch mount and operative for releasing the locking sleeve from the upper end of the front leg and configuring the stroller in the folded position by pivoting the latch handle into mating engagement with the collar. Preferably, the locking sleeve is released by rolling surface contact between a first engagement surface of the collar and a second engagement surface of the latch handle to impart upward motion for releasing the locking sleeve. The latch handle preferably includes a downwardly extending hand grip to enable a user facing the rear of the stroller frame to fold the stroller by lifting up on the hand grip, thereby rotating the latch handle to configure the stroller in the folded position.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a stroller frame including a stroller handle, rear leg and front leg, the stroller handle being pivotal about a rotation axis and the stroller being folded by rotating the stroller handle in a stroller folding direction. A first latch member is slidable along the lower end of the stroller handle, the first latch member including a locking sleeve received over the upper end of the front leg, thereby locking the stroller frame in the deployed position, and a second latch member is pivotally coupled to the front leg hinge for pivotal motion about the axis of rotation. In this aspect of the invention, the stroller frame is configured from the deployed to the folded position by pivoting the second latch member in the stroller folding direction.
In still another aspect of the invention, a stroller latch is adapted for selectively configuring a stroller frame between a folded and unfolded position, the stroller frame including a stroller handle having a lower end, front leg having an upper end and a rear leg hingedly coupled to the stroller handle through a rear leg hinge. In this aspect of the invention, the stroller latch includes a latch mount pivotally mounted to the lower end of the stroller handle and fixedly mounted to the upper end of the front leg, a locking member coupled to the stroller handle, the locking member being releasably engageable with the upper end of the front leg to configure the stroller frame in the unfolded position, an engaging surface formed on the locking member, and a cam defining a camming surface disposed in operative proximity to the engaging surface, the cam being pivotally coupled to the latch mount and operable for configuring the stroller in the folded position by pivoting the camming surface into mating engagement with the engaging surface.
In still another aspect of the invention, a stroller adapted for mounting an infant carrier or car seat is provided. The stroller includes a stroller bolster having left and right terminal ends pivotally coupled to said stroller handle at the left and right intermediate ends thereof and a center section positionable between a first position wherein the center section is positioned across the seating area and a second position wherein the center section is positioned adjacent the stroller handle upper end. The center portion includes a child activity area including left and right end portions and a center portion extending between and forward of the left and right end portions, a child carrier mount for mounting a child carrier, the child carrier mount including left and right mounting members disposed rearward of the center portion and extending inward from the respective left and right end portions, wherein the left and right mounting members are adapted for receiving corresponding latching hooks of an infant carrier.